The Boy in the Battle
by super ario
Summary: A tragic accident leaves everyone's favorite baby duck fighting for his life.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** I apologize for neglecting this story. You'd be surprised at how many times people asked me if I was ever going to continue. I always said yes because I knew I would eventually, but I'm sorry that it took me this long. Nothing very new here yet, but I've rewritten these first two chapters and changed some things. This story takes place during season seven, and Emily Young is the new intern instead of Mr. Abernathy, because there just aren't enough female interns working there. There's only one, and not many people like her...Thanks to everyone who has favorited and alerted this story! Hopefully this can satisfy you for now.

**Disclaimer:** Bones isn't mine, but I do own quite a few DVD's.

* * *

"Victim is male. Caucasian. Approximately...twenty-four to twenty-five years old. The indentations in these bones, here, are quite common in those struck with-"

"Struck to _death_? That would be a horrible way to die." When all six eyes were turned to her, the newest intern at the Jeffersonian, Emily Young, offered a quick "Sorry" and shut her mouth. She had been working with the team for a total of four days now and she had been doing her best to stay professional. It was not the first time she had interrupted her superiors to give them her naïve opinion, and the team figured that it probably would not be the last either. She was just very excited to be there - and while the constant interruptions were not something the scientists favored, they could understand her enthusiasm at being at work with some of the greatest scientists in the country.

"Actually," Dr. Brennan countered, "these wounds were inflicted post-mortem."

"So, you're saying that's not the way that he died then?" Emily blinked at the skeleton strewn across the lab table before her and shuddered involuntarily. Why she ever wanted to become a forensic anthropologist was anyone's guess. She did not handle mangled corpses very well. She didn't believe that anyone really could, regardless of how many years they had come in contact with them. Being that she was particularly squeamish at the sight of blood from a mere papercut, one had to wonder what she was doing hovering over a dead body in the first place.

"Precisely."

"Okay, that's good. At least the guy got spared some unnecessary pain." The girl of Chinese descent paused to reach a small hand up to adjust her black-rimmed glasses. "But if he was already dead...why whack him with something?"

"Perhaps the murderer just wanted to make sure he was really dead," Cam suggested.

Brennan nodded. "It is quite possible. Oh, Angela," she greeted as the artist approached them with a file in her hands. "Hello."

Angela nodded her greetings to the team and wasted no time explaining her findings. "Hey. So, I identified the victim." She pulled a large printed photo out of the manila folder she carried and held it out for them to see. "Cole Anderson. He's twenty-five years old. Works at a computer repair shop in Cleveland Park."

"RWD?" Emily offered. "Repair Without Despair?"

"Uh, yeah." The artist continued on as if she had never been interrupted. "Apparently, he's been missing a little over two weeks now. No family in the area. His work-buddies started to get a little worried when he stopped showing up for his shifts."

"Very good, Angela." Brennan nodded. "I will let Booth know." She removed her dirty rubber gloves and tossed them into the trash bin below the slab where the body of the now identified man lay. After being pregnant for so long, in fact now just having entered her third trimester, the anthropologist found herself having to use the restroom much more often than she was used to. "I find that I'm having to urinate more often than I would like."

Angela laughed. "That's when you know you're getting ripe."

"I don't know what that means," Brennan replied. "I'm not a piece of fruit. I cannot ripen. However, this is merely a sign that the fetus is growing appropriately and is pressing up against my bladder. If you will excuse me..."

As the anthropologist scurried off to relieve herself, Angela turned her attention to Cole Anderson's remains and sighed. Even after so many years of coming in direct contact with the bodies of (usually) undeserving victims, she found that could never get used to it.

"Poor guy," Emily sympathized after a minute. "It must be terrible being dead."

Hodgins eyed the Asian intern with a mixture of amusement and incredibility. "If you were dead, you probably wouldn't even notice. You do know that, right?"

"That's...very true," she agreed. She mulled over the idea that one minute a person could be living their life to the fullest and the next minute they could be six feet under and pushing up daisies. Life was so fragile and she found that the more bodies she came in contact with, the more the thought occured to her. Suddenly, her lips twitched into a smirk and her voice raised in her excitement. "Hey, you know what would make solving this case so much easier?" When nobody answered, she took it as a hint to continue and did so rather proudly. "If Cole's ghost would appear and just tell us all the answers."

"That's very unlikely," Dr. Brennan responded.

Emily decided to ignore that fact that Dr. Brennan had managed to relieve herself and rejoin their conversation so quickly. After all, there were a lot of things that she did not understand about the anthropologist. She continued," If only every murder victim's ghost could tell the true story behind their death. I mean, that way there would be nothing but justice."

"And we'd also be out of our jobs," Cam reminded pointedly. "And since Mr. Anderson's ghost _isn't _here, perhaps we should get back to going our work."

"Yes," Brennan agreed. "That would be most benefcial." As Hodgins, Emily, and Angela nodded their agreements, Brennan opened her mouth to speak, reaching for a new pair of rubber gloves. However, before she could even slip them on and get another word out, there was a distinct _RING, RING! _coming from the pocket of her blue lab coat. Brennan started, then realizing it was her phone causing the commotion, reached into her pocket and put the phone up to her ear, balancing it between her shoulder and her head as she slipped on her gloves. "Hello? Oh, Miss Wick."

Hodgins and Angela raised their eyebrows. The notion did not go unnoticed by Emily, who found herself curious about who else she had yet to meet on the team. Dr. Brennan had expected Daisy to come in instead, but since she had never shown, the anthropologist had made the decision to give the newest intern some more experience in the lab. Before she could even question Daisy about why she was not present, Daisy answered. Her voice was so loud, so frantic, that the rest of the team had no trouble hearing her.

"_Dr. Brennan_!" There was a pause as she tried to compose herself. There was no point in speaking when her sobs distorted her words and made her difficult to understand. "_Um, Dr. Brennan_?" There was an unmistakable sniffle coming from her end, and immediately the team's annoyance faltered. "_I'm sorry if I'm interrupting something...I should have called you earlier but...Dr. Brennan, I won't be able to come in today...I'm not sure when I will be able to_..."

"Miss Wick?" Brennan interrupted. "Is something the matter?"

"_Actually...it's Lance, Dr. Brennan. There-there's been an accident_..." As Daisy went on to explain, the team watched helplessly as Brennan's expression changed from one of surprise to one of genuine concern. After a moment, she mumbled a quick "Please keep me posted" into the phone and hung up. The rest of the team was quickly on their toes.

"What's wrong?" Angela asked her.

"That was Miss Wick."

"She sounded very upset," Cam noted.

"Yes, she was very upset. She's at the hospital." There was a short chorus of collective gasps from every member of the team, aside from Emily who found herself feeling extremely out-of-the-loop. She had no idea who this Miss Wick was but she couldn't help but sympathize for her. Emily sympathized for everybody.

"Hospital?" Angela repeated, panicked. "What? What's going on? Is she okay?"

"Miss Wick is fine."

"She's fine? Then why-?"

"It's Sweets," Brennan clarified, for some reason finding it difficult to produce words. "He...There's been an accident."

Angela frowned. "Oh my god. What happened?"

"Is he alright?" Cam demanded.

Hodgins and Emily both looked just as worried as the rest of them, although Emily still looked extremely confused. She had absolutely no idea who Sweets was but, judging from everyone's reactions, she deducted he must have meant a great deal to them. She wanted to ask them who he was and why he mattered but she knew better than to intrude on their personal moment. However, seeing the people she looked up to so distant and distracted was dismaying. She didn't like it when people were upset.

"Miss Wick said that he was in a collision this morning on his way to work."

"A collision?" Hodgins repeated, hoping to have heard wrong. "You mean Sweets was in a car accident?"

Brennan nodded. "Yes. Miss Wick was notified as soon as he was brought into the ER. He's at the George Washington University hospital. From what I gather, he's been left in very serious condition."

"Well, he's okay though. Right?" Angela asked. "I mean, he's going to be okay?"

Dr. Brennan was never one to give false hope, not to anyone. She felt that telling the truth in situations like these was important. She took a second to think and to breathe, finding that she was having difficulty staying calm. "Daisy said he...is not doing so well. The doctors told her they are doing their best, but-"

"They don't think he's going to make it?" Angela finished, with dread.

Brennan looked as if she was about to protest. "I don't know very much about the extent of his injuries but I do know he suffered a great deal of trauma."

"Oh my god..."

Hodgins wrapped an arm around his wife and shook his head. Over the past few years of working with and getting to know Sweets, the entomologist had found the kid growing on him. At first, he couldn't have standed the sight of him, thinking that the psychologist was just too annoying and nosy to deal with. He was so thankful that he had given the kid a second chance and that he had been given another chance too - after all, in the beginning he hadn't treated the guy very fairly at all. After realizing that the kid actually knew what he was talking about, Hodgins had often seeked the young man for advice, much like most of them had at some point or another. Now he considered him to be more of a friend than just a mere colleague. Hell, he was part of their family.

Hodgins thought back to the time that Sweets and him had accompanied Fisher to the premiere of the new sci-fi movie, Avatar. The young man had practically died from guilt after kissing another woman while waiting in line. And he had helped him steal back Angela's father's car! Even after leaving him behind, Sweets hadn't been angry with him. He was such a good guy and Hodgins was saddened at the thought that he was lying on a hospital bed on the verge of life and death. He glanced at Cole Anderson's remains and shuddered. He and Sweets were both the same age. A world without the great wunderkind Dr. Sweets, Hodgins could not dare to imagine.

"We have got to get over there,"Angela announced, bring him out of his reverie.

"And I should call Booth," Brennan added. "He'll probably want to come too."

The team practically cringed at the mention of the agent's name. They all knew how fond Agent Booth had been of the young man. They had a strange love/hate brotherly thing going on and had for years. Knowing the way that Booth felt about his people, he would not take the news well. However, there was still one other person who might take everything worse.

"We have to be there for Daisy, you guys," Angela reminded. "I know she can be kind of neurotic sometimes but she's a good person and...they're in love. If he dies, it's going to kill her."

"Yeah, come on. I'll drive," Hodgins offered, not wanting to think about it.

Emily figured now was her only chance. "Uh, guys? I know this is kind of irrelevent now but...I'm still here."

"Right...of course, Miss Young," Cam nodded, sadly. "The case still needs to be solved and we still need to figure out cause of death. And everything." She paused to look over her team and quickly made a decision. "You guys go ahead. I should stay and take care of things here. I'll have to drop in a little bit later. Please give me a call as soon as you get any information." At their agreement, she turned to the body with a sigh. "Alright. Let's get to work, Miss Young. We're going to have a lot more to do with everyone else away."

And so as Dr. Saroyan and Emily resumed their investigation, the rest of the team dispersed. Brennan rushed towards her office as fast as her legs could carry her swelling body and hit her speed dial, wanting to call her partner and tell him about the accident in private. Hodgins and Angela wasted no time heading towards Angela's vehicle. And though everyone was in separate places, they all had one common thing on their minds.

A 25 year old Lance Sweets who was fighting the ultimate battle. The battle of life and death.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note:** Well, here's the second part. I rewrote this one too and now I'm satisfied I know exactly where I'm taking this story. It's going to be a very long ride, I warn you. Until then, happy reading. :)

* * *

"I can't believe this," Angela exclaimed as she and Hodgins climbed into her Sienna.

Her husband glanced at her for a brief moment before turning away to buckle his seatbelt and start the engine. It was probably a good idea that he was driving because Angela was obviously too upset to pay attention to the road. There was no need for another accident.

"Sweets can't die, Jack," the artist argued. "He's too young."

Hodgins agreed with her but he did little to show it. Instead, he pulled out of the parking garage of the Jeffersonian and tried to focus on getting them to the hospital as quickly and as safely as possible, while his wife continued with her speech.

"I mean, he's barely 25! His birthday was only two months ago! And he still has to show his I.D. to drink sometimes. I know that I said that before when he and Brennan got ran off the road during that knight case a while back. Remember that? But he just...he's too young..."

"Yeah, well, we just got to stay hopeful. Right?" The entomologist tried, putting the blinker on and signaling a turn. "I mean, Sweets isn't going to leave Daisy if he's got something to say about it."

"But you heard what Brennan said."

"Yeah, but come on, Ange. We don't know the half of it."

Hodgins turned to her and frowned. He could see the tears forming behind her eyes. Angela quickly wiped them away as if she was ashamed of showing how emotional she was getting without all the facts. He understood that she was trying to prepare for the worst, and in all honesty, he was too. However, he felt that in order to keep some control of the situation, they would need to stay hopeful. They needed to be strong for their friend just as they knew he would be strong for them too.

"Don't you think we should try to stay positive - at least until we get some solid information?"

Angela shook her head, at a loss for words. "I know, I know. You're right, it's just..." She shrugged. "Well, we see things like this all the time, you know? Young people dying way before they should. Kids! It isn't fair. I mean, some of these people...like...like Cole Anderson, or that guy that Sweets met on the subway, the one that didn't die of cancer...These kids have barely started to live their lives and then they get killed and taken away from their families. It's just...it sucks..."

Hodgins nodded his agreement.

"But you never think something bad like that is going to happen to someone you know, personally." After working in this line of work for quite some time now, Angela had gotten used to the notion that bad things were bound to happen to them on cases. However, this was different. This wasn't part of any case, it was just part of real life. That's what made her so afraid. She went on," I love Sweets. He's such a good person. He doesn't deserve this."

"Yeah, Ange. Most people don't," Hodgins reminded her.

She watched him for a second, her glossy eyes as unreadable as ever. She knew that he was right about everything but the thought that things could be going so wrong so quickly did not make any sense to her. She would never understand why any of them, and Sweets specifically, had to go through something like this. She did not like how fragile they all were. However, she knew that she should not dwell on that aspect of the situation, not with more important matters at hand. Satisfied with the consolation, she leaned her head back against the headrest and sighed.

The remainder of the trip was spent in silence.

* * *

"Maggots?" Emily repeated, her voice betraying sincere disgust.

The intern hated bugs. Even more so than she hated her mother's meatloaf, which in her case meant quite a lot. She did not understand why someone could want to become an entomologist. It was bad enough having to deal with dead bodies! She did not recall signing up to work with bugs. It made her spine tingle with horror just thinking about it.

"Hodgins is going to have a field day with these," said Cam.

As the pathologist dealt with packing the maggots for Hodgins, Emily couldn't help but frown. Though Dr. Saroyan was focused on the task at hand, Emily could tell she was a little distracted. In fact, ever since the rest of them had left, Emily had felt that Dr. Saroyan wasn't really there at all. In physical form, yes, but not mentally. She was running on auto-pilot. Emily knew she was testing dangerous waters but she could not let her curiosity rest any longer. She was not one to hold her thoughts in.

"Dr. Saroyan," she suddenly said. "Can I ask you a question?"

"What is it, Miss Young?" The pathologist answered, hardly bothering to look up.

Emily continued, unsurely. "I know that it's none of my business...so I'm sorry if I mention something that I shouldn't have mentioned, being that it wasn't any part of my business in the first place...because it's not any of my business..."

"Miss Young."

"I just wanted to ask you if..." She trailed off, wondering how she could continue without making someone upset. "Well, I just wanted to ask if you were alright? I mean, I couldn't help but notice you've been a little distracted...I mean, you _seem_ distracted." The intern continued carefully, "Keen observation. I just...I'm going to take a guess that it has to do something with the whole...accident thing. The...distraction part, not the keen observation part..."

Cam sighed.

Emily continued, fumbling over the right words. "Although I don't know who these people are, I am guessing that they are good friends of yours?"

Half expecting the pathologist to scold her for getting into sensitive business that was just not hers to mess with, Emily held her breath. However, instead of getting angry, Cam set her tools down and explained, much to her surprise.

"Yes. Yes, Miss Young, you are correct. For the most part." There was a pause. She found it difficult to say his name for some reason. "Dr. Sweets...is a close friend and colleague of mine. Miss Wick is an intern here. She was originally supposed to be coming in today but with the accident..."

"I understand," Emily nodded.

"She and Dr. Sweets are dating...well, at least I think so. I'm not really sure how they're doing, to be honest."

"Dating?" Emily wondered. "Can you date other people in the workplace? I mean, isn't that like a conflict or interest or something?"

"No. No, Dr. Sweets doesn't work _here_," Cam corrected, not bothering to bring up the fact that Hodgins and Angela were both married and had a relationship that began in the lab. After the madness that had occured when Wendell started dating Angela, Cam figured perhaps restricting intercolleague relations would be a smart thing to do. "He works for the FBI. He's a psychologist."

"Oh. I hate psychology."

Cam mused, "Yeah, you hear that a lot around here."

"I dated a psychologist once," Emily shared randomly. "Well, he was a psychology student. He wanted to become the next Dr. Phil, he told me. Wanted to have his own TV show. He always wanted to help everyone solve their problems. Everyone came to him for advice."

Cam knew that this conversation was immensly irrelevant to the case at hand but she was truthfully relieved to have the distraction, however brief. After all, hovering over the dead body of a young man did not help quell her concerns over her friend who she was left waiting to hear news about. She surprised even herself by encouraging the young woman to continue her story. "And what happened?"

"Oh, his advice was _terrible_! People trusted him because he sounded so smart, but really, he was just a joke. He ruined everyone's relationships. And I'm sure he did it on purpose too. He made them do stupid things and everyone ended up hating him for it. He flunked out of his classes _and_ he cheated on me with three other girls."

"Oh," Cam replied, suddenly very uncomfortable. She was honestly unsure of what to say.

"So," Emily continued, unphazed by the awkward turn their conversation had taken. She had obviously told this story many times before. "I invited all his other girlfriends over and ratted him out. It was awesome!" She spoke of it as if she was talking about a baseball game or a new movie. It did not appear to be a sore subject with her in the least. In fact, the nostalgic gleam in her dark brown eyes told the pathologist that she was losing her to her fantasies.

"Miss Young?"

The intern shook her head to clear her mind of the thoughts. "Sorry. I get so caught up in thinking about it sometimes. It was very satisfying."

"I bet."

Emily nodded. Her demeanor suddenly changed and her voice dropped. "I'm really, honestly sorry Dr. Saroyan. I do not know your Dr. Sweets personally but I'm sure that he is a fine gentleman," this she could judge just by seeing the other people the pathologist had centered her life around. "And I wish him the best."

Cam smiled sadly. "Thank you, Miss Young. I appreciate that." After a moment, she picked up her tools and motioned towards Cole's remains. "We should probably get back to work. This murder isn't going to solve itself."

* * *

"Look, there's Daisy," Angela pointed out as she and Hodgins walked into the GW University hospital waiting room.

The young woman appeared to be arguing with a middle-aged doctor in blue scrubs. She was visibly upset, not that any of them could blame her for it. The couple glanced at each other warily and strode over to her. Once they were in her line of sight, Daisy looked looked incredibly relieved. She waved them over with haste.

"Oh, Angela! Dr. Hodgins! Oh, thank god you're here. You have to talk to him," she said in greeting, motioning over to the doctor who looked extremely uncomfortable to be in this situation. "He won't let me see Lance."

"Hi," Angela absently mumbled to the doctor. She reached for Daisy, who really seemed more preoccupied with dealing with the doctor than seeking refuge or comfort in her sometimes-friends. "Daisy, I'm so sorry. Are you alright?" She asked with genuine concern. She could only imagine what Daisy must be going through. And while she sometimes found the intern a little unbearable, she sympathized. If it had been Hodgins in Sweets' place, Angela wouldn't have known what to do.

"No, I'm not alright," Daisy dismissed, surprisingly avoiding Angela's embrace. "I won't be alright until I see Lance."

Angela frowned. Daisy, much like Sweets, seemed to give out hugs whether people really cared for them or not. They were just those kinds of people. To say that her rejection was concerning was an understatement, being that Angela had half-expected to hold onto her and never let go. Then again, Angela could completely understood that Daisy was more concerned with seeing her boyfriend rather than standing around wasting time.

She awkwardly dropped her arms to the side, sharing another quick glance with Hodgins. After a moment, she asked, "When can we see him?", hoping that she could get some answers they were all desperately searching for. She and Hodgins cared about Sweets as much as the rest of them did. She saw him as a little brother. She needed to know that she would be able to see him again.

The doctor shook his head grimly. "I'm sorry. It's going to be a few hours wait. He's in surgery."

"But I can't wait any longer!" Daisy practically screamed. The three of them winced simultaneously. "I've already waited over an hour! I need to see my Lancelot. He needs me!"

"I'm very sorry," the doctor told them seriously. "But there's nothing I can do for you right now. Your friend is in surgery. The doctors want to help him get better just as much as you do. I understand your impatience but you're just going to have to wait for now. You need to let the doctors do their job."

His logic did seem fair, but Daisy still was not happy. "Please. I need to see him."

The doctor sighed, rubbing the back of his neck tiredly. "Miss, I am really sorry, okay? I know how you feel." And he did. His mind was suddenly bombarded with memories of his son, some four or five years younger than Sweets, dying in the very same hospital a year before. He shook the overwhelming images out of his head and tried to remain professional, knowing this was not the time to dwell on the past. "You're just going to have to wait a little longer."

"How could you possibly know how I feel?" Daisy snapped. "My boyfriend is in there lying on his death bed and nobody will let me see him!"

Angela and Hodgins exchanged apologetic looks with the doctor. While they understood where Daisy's anger was coming from, the doctor did not deserve to be on the recieving end of it all. There was nothing in the world Daisy loved more than her Lancelot, and she wasn't sure what she would do without him. The thought scared her into a moment of silence.

Hodgins took this as his cue to speak, hoping to ease the tention. "How long we talking about, doc?"

Again, the doctor shook his head. "Not any time soon, I'm afraid. If I were you, I wouldn't be getting my hopes up too much. Won't probably get to see your friend until late this afternoon, if by then. I promise I will let you guys know as soon as we're sure, alright? You'll get your time, but you've just got to be patient." When the three of them nodded their understanding, albeit reluctantly, the doctor smiled sadly. "I have to go now. I have other patients, but I will check in with you later once I get more news." He turned to Daisy. "I promise."

As they said their goodbyes, the doctor disappeared behind swinging doors.

"Well, this sucks," Hodgins noted, instantly regretting how indifferent he came off sounding. He was very much concerned for his friend's state, however, he hadn't known how to express that without sounding overly pathetic. He was trying to keep everyone calm and composed until they heard the official verdict but perhaps he'd added a little too much brovado into the mix.

"I can tell you're very upset about this, Dr. Hodgins," Daisy replied, with a cold stare.

Angela gave Hodgins a look but she did not say anything to him. She knew that his passive tone was not something he needed to be punished for. She appreciated that he wanted not to overreact. Still, her eyes gave him enough warning to be more careful about his words in the future.

Hodgins tried to ignore the sarcasm dripping from Daisy's words. He wanted to hear that his friend was going to be okay and that all would be fine. Unfortunately, Daisy was oblivious to his pain, too busy blinded by her own.

Angela stepped in. "Daisy, how about we go sit down, okay? Then you can tell us everything."

She placed a hand on each of Daisy's arms and guided her over to the array of uncomfortable chairs, leaving no room for argument. The three sat, Angela sitting between Hodgins and Daisy in hopes of deflecting any negative feelings between the two. Daisy sighed and leaned her back against the ugly blue seat, taking a moment to collect herself. She wiped at her eyes, though the act was pointless because instantly her tears were replaced with fresh ones.

Angela placed a hand over Daisy's encouragingly, and nodded.

Comforted by the sentimental gesture, Daisy began to explain. "I got a call this morning this morning from the hospital soon after Lance was brought in. He wasn't answering my calls so I kind of suspected that maybe something had happened." She paused, "They said...they said that he was involved in a three car pile-up, or something. I-I think it was because the roads were kind of icy. It's so dangerous to drive in those conditions. His car flipped. I always tried to tell him to be careful."

Angela sadly patted her hand, frowning along with Hodgins at the information. "Three car pile-up? Was anyone else hurt?"

"They brought some other guys in, I think," Daisy said. "But thankfully nobody was killed. I haven't really asked but I know at least one of them is in serious condition. I think everyone else is okay." She couldn't but feel a little bitter about that last part. It wasn't that she wanted anyone to be seriously injured, but she did not believe it was fair that her Lancelot had taken the brunt of the suffering while the majority of the others did not. She knew it was an irrational thought, and felt guilty for thinking it, but again she could not help herself. She was not able to think rationally when her lover was in emergency surgery.

"Jesus," Hodgins sighed. "Where was this?"

"Right near St. Matthew's Cathedral," Daisy answered, forgetting that she was ever angry wth him.

Angela and Hodgins were confused. They hadn't heard of any accidents that particular morning, especially not one this serious, which was surprising. Angela frowned, "St. Matthew's Cathedral? But that's all the way near Dupont Circle. That's not even on Sweets' way to the FBI. Or the Jeffersonian."

Daisy suddenly looked ten times more upset and Angela sensed that she had brought something wrong up. "I...I asked Lance to give me a ride to work today. He was on his way to my apartment," she explained. Her absense in the lab made even more sense now. "I-It's all my fault..."

"No, Daisy," Angela denied, firmly. She gripped her hands in hers, sounding as sincere as she could. "Nobody could have predicted this, okay? You can't go around blaming yourself for what happened. You did not cause this."

"But if Lance hadn't been on his way to pick me up, he wouldn't be in the hospital!"

"Daisy," Angela sighed. She waited until their eyes met to continue. "Things happen. And sometimes bad things happen that are out of our hands. And life sucks sometimes because of that." She thought over the conversation she and Hodgins had in her car on the way over. "But this thing, Sweets being in the hospital, it isn't your fault. It's just one of those things that happens in life that we wish didn't have to. You did nothing wrong. Sweets agreed to pick you up and he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. You did not force this upon him."

"Are you saying it's Lance's fault?" Daisy asked, incredulously.

Angela bracktracked. "No, Sweetie. I mean...this could have happened to anyone, anywhere, at any time. Just because it happened to happen on his way to pick you up does not make it anyone's fault, and most certainly does not make it yours either." She went on, "It was an accident. A freak of nature. Things like this happen all the time and I believe there is always a reason why."

Daisy looked skeptical, yet full of hope.

"There is a reason this happened, Daisy. But it's not because of you."

"I just feel so bad..."

"I know you do, Sweetie," Angela nodded, squeezing her hand comfortingly. "And you have every right to feel bad. Just don't feel bad for the wrong reasons."

There was a moment of hesitation and then, "You're right," Daisy agreed, albeit it cautiously. "I did not inflict this on Lance. It just...happened. I wish it hadn't but it did and now I just need to be there for him when he needs me," she recited, as if she was asking for reassurance.

"That's right," Angela agreed. Hodgins smiled proudly beside her, although it went unnoticed by either of them.

"But it's just so not fair," Daisy added, her voice suddenly louder than necessary. "Lance isn't a bad person! He doesn't deserve this."

"Most people don't, Daisy," Angela said, sharing a quick, knowing glance with Hodgins.

"Do you think Lance is going to leave me?" Daisy suddenly asked.

Angela and Hodgins collectively cringed at the thought of their young friend dying a premature death. Although they knew little about the extent of his injures, from what they'd heard so far, things were not looking too well. Not even Daisy appeared to know the half of it but that did not stop them both from hoping. They took Sweets being in surgery a good sign that within the next few hours they might be able to visit their friend. And they had a distinct feeling that he would be okay. Despite their worry, the two of them felt surprisingly reassured.

"Honestly?" Angela smiled. "I don't think Sweets could leave you even if he tried."


End file.
